On October 18, Keep Chester County Beautiful became a county affiliate of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. The affiliate will be housed in and become a program of the Chester County Planning Commission. 

The certification of this new affiliate marked the culmination of a public-private-civic partnership process that began with West Vincent Litter Lifters.

The Litter Lifters have been an active force, cleaning up litter and illegal dumping through the Keep PA Beautiful Pick Up Pennsylvania program since 2020.

Keep Chester County Beautiful completed the process of becoming an affiliate by conducting Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Community Assessment, which is done to gather data about Chester County in six categories: residents’ attitude about litter and community image, existing litter prevention programs, leaders of community and beautification efforts, existing waste and recycling policies, past and current community revitalization efforts and active volunteer groups.

The results of the Community Assessment will be used to guide the development of a local plan to change attitudes and behaviors regarding litter, recycling, beautification and related issues.

“We place great importance on keeping our county beautiful, and value the guidance of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and all that the organization does to support communities like ours,” said Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline in a joint statement. 

“We also thank everyone associated with West Vincent Litter Lifters for their enthusiasm and their request for a county-wide effort to clean up litter and reduce waste. Their persistence helped to focus our attention on seeking a solution for litter control and establishing a Chester County affiliate of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful fits well with our county’s sustainability goals.”

The group’s overall strategic plan for the next three years includes litter abatement, waste reduction, beautification and connecting schools and volunteer groups to foster more environmental stewardship opportunities.

Carrie J. Conwell, AICP Senior Environmental Planner and Rachael Griffith, RLA, AICP Sustainability Director, will serve as coordinators for the Keep Chester County Beautiful affiliate programs.

Conwell will serve as the affiliate’s point person and can be reached at 610-344-6285 or at the Keep Chester County Beautiful webpage.

“Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful congratulates and welcomes Keep Chester County Beautiful. We are grateful to the Chester County Planning Commission for supporting the affiliate and seeing the value in our programs, tools and resources that we offer residents to help keep their communities clean and beautiful. We’re looking forward to working together to enhance existing programs and welcome Chester County to our Affiliate Network.” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

For more information about Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s local affiliates, visit the Keep PA Beautiful Affiliate webpage. To inquire about starting an affiliate, contact Kylie McCutcheon at kmccutcheon@keeppabeautiful.org  or 724-836-4121 x114.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to become a member.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Discover them on Pinterest and visit their YouTube Channel.

Keep PA Beautiful helps mobilize over 100,000 volunteers a year to pick up litter, clean up illegal dumping and beautify Pennsylvania.

(Photo: Rachael Griffith, Affiliate Coordinator and Chester County Planning Commission Sustainability Director, Kylie McCutcheon, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Affiliate Coordinator and Carrie J. Conwell, Affiliate Coordinator and Chester County Planning Commission Senior Environmental Planner.) 

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[Posted: November 9, 2022]

11/14/2022